1998 Australian Vintage

The season constantly bordered on drought but just managed to receive sufficient rainfall to bring the fruit to near-perfect ripening, and it began and finished early. The Barossa and Eden Valley had a drier than normal year despite good rains in late spring, followed by a disease free, warm to hot summer that led to an early vintage. A drier than normal 1997 winter raised concern about fruitset in the Barossa, but October and November rains provided excellent moisture reserves, and the season had one of the lowest incidences of downy mildew, powdery mildew or botrytis. A week of 40 C temperatures in late February brought rapid ripening, with some reds reaching the required Baume before whites. In Great Southern, Western Australia, dry weather held from the first week of October to the second week of March, with short heat waves in late November and early February. Vintage there started in mid February, two weeks earlier than normal, and most Riesling was picked before rain in the second and fourth weeks of March. Even the Hunter Valley had an unusually rain-free vintage.

• The season bordered on drought, beginning and finishing early
• Barossa: good October and November rains, then a warm to hot summer
• Barossa: a week of 40 C in late February; among the lowest mildew and botrytis levels
• Great Southern: vintage began mid February, two weeks earlier than normal

The 1998 crush was a record 954,500 tonnes, more than 150,000 tonnes above the low yielding 1997 vintage and 8 percent above the previous record set in 1996. Yields were up an estimated 5 percent, but the surge in premium grapes came from 25,500 ha planted from 1992 to 1996. Shiraz rose by 50,000 tonnes to 147,300 tonnes, second only to Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon rose 46 percent to 97,800 tonnes. The Barossa crushed 65,430 tonnes.

• Record crush of 954,500 tonnes, 8 percent above the 1996 record
• Shiraz up 50,000 tonnes to 147,300 tonnes; Cabernet Sauvignon up 46 percent

Decanter said 1998 could well be rated the best Australian red wine vintage of modern times, possibly even since 1962, marrying the concentration of 1990 with the fineness and purity of fruit of 1994, and singled out Coonawarra reds, especially merlot, and shiraz from the Barossa Valley, Clare and McLaren Vale. Geoff Schrapel called it an outstanding year for Barossa Cabernet and an excellent year for Barossa Shiraz, with yields overall slightly down. In Great Southern, yields averaged 8 to 10 tonne/hectare.

• Highlights: Coonawarra reds, especially merlot
• Barossa: outstanding for Cabernet, excellent for Shiraz (Geoff Schrapel)

Decanter named cabernet-based reds from Petaluma, Parker, Katnook Estate and Majella in Coonawarra, Grant Burge's Meshach and Coriole's Lloyd Reserve from the Barossa and McLaren Vale, Tim Adams Aberfeldy Shiraz from Clare, and the Cullen Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot from Margaret River, and said the wines show great potential for bottle development.